Draft-gear.



1* F. COURS'ON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATloN FILED SEPT. l1, 19|3.

Patented Nov 21, 1916.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1. F. COURSON.

DRAFT GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT ll, |913.

Patented Nov. il, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

moana la' v115 HI ll State of tain -new and useful Improvements in A' UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

- JOHN I'. ooUnsoN, or' PITCAIRN, PENNSYLVANIA.

i :DRAFT-GEAR.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it lmow that I, JOHN F. g Courson, citizen of the United States', residing at Pitcairn, in the county of Allegheny and Pennsylvania, have invented 'cer- Draft-Gears, specification. l

My mventlon consists of an improvement of which the following is a and the creation of resisting friction through the wedge blockv construction.

The invention, as shown, discloses certain novel arrangements of expanding frictioncreating wedge blocks and a co-acting separating wedge having front and rear wedge members, similar to that disclosed in my prior application iiled May 29, 1913, Serial No. 770664. i

The invention as disclosed also embodies certain novel means for effecting supplemental frictional resistance by means of additional friction members mounted with th main friction ,shoes and operable independently thereof for movement in either direction, together with the installation of the apparatus in the car framing and the several parts necessary thereto, to carry out the functions-of the apparatus.

One of the particular objects of the invention is to so relation to the central drawbar and its follower, orwthe like, and an opposing resisting follower or equivalent means, whereby t o` separation of and Opposi-I by a spring and supplemental 'opera-H effect preliminary tion and. resistance by an additional spring, said sprlngs being compactly mounted and arranged within the limited space provided in such gears.-

These objects are accomplished, inpreferred forms of the apparatus, hereinafter specification of Letters Patent.

draft gears for railway cars, etc., and

.4 and 5 are detail la. Inodied construction,

arrange resisting springs, withl Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

Application led September 11, 1913. Serial No. 789,279.

described, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a central longitudinal vertical sectional view of the complete apparatus in normal position, indicated by the section line I. I. Of Fig. 2. F ig. 2' is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view, indicated by the line II. II. of Fig. 1. Fig 3 is a cross sectional view, indicated by the line III. III. of Fig. 1, omitting the central wedge. Figs. views in perspective of the wedging friction shoes. Fig. 6 is a similar view of the central compound wedge member. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional View on the line VII. VII. of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 1, taken on the line VIII. VIII. of Fig. 9, showing wall caslng and grooved wedges. Fig. 9 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, ttaken on the line IX. IX. of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view, taken on the line X. X. of Fig. 8, omitting the central wedge'. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective view of the central wedge, like Fig. 6, showing addi-` tional friction ridges and grooves. Fig. 12 is a similar view of one of the friction shoes provided with co-acting grooved and ribbed wedging faces. Fig. 13 is a detail sectional view showing the wedging. friction shoes and central wedge within the casing and utilizing a tapered provided with supplemental friction strips.

Fig. 14 is a perspective detail view showing one of said friction shoes provided with a receiving groove for such supplemental member. Fig.` 15 is a perspective detail view showing one of such supplemental friction -members In the drawings, 2 represents the draw- Y bar of a coupler xedlv connected with the yoke 3 by transverse bolts 4. in the manner customary in this art, said yoke embracing the casing 5 at top and bottom, as shown, the yoke and casing being located between the central sills 6, 6. A bearing block or follower piece 7 is set against the rear end of casing 5 and its closing end wall, hereinafter described, against the outer end of which follower 7 bears the rounded end 8 of yoke 3 with an interposed lling block 9, preferably secured to the end of the yoke.

The front stops 10 extend inwardly from each side of the center sill 6, which sustain the pulling of the draft gear and impart it .versed position shown in to said sills, while similar rear stops 10 act to receive and impart buffing strains in the same manner.

rlChe casing 5 is generally cylindrical in cross section and is mounted between the sills 6, supported upon any suitable cross member 11 between the sills, having suitable clearance for the yoke 3.

In front of follower 7, with sufficient intervening clearance to allow for the absorbing action of the gear, are additional stops 20, 20, secured like stops 10 and 10 to the sills 6 and providing rigid bearing, abutments for the forwardly moving follower 7.

`Within the forward portion of the casing 3, in the construction shown, are assembled and nested series of segmental shaped shoes 12, 12, and 13, 13, respectively, having coacting wedging faces 14 and 15 respectively.

rlhese several friction shoes are designed to be assembled, as shown in the drawings, within the cylinder and to eect lateral eX- pansion or separation and resulting frictional engagement against the inner face of the cylinder and between their contacting faces, upon the occurrence of either buifing or pulling shocks, and to also freely separate or collapse upon termination of pressure. To this end one set or pair of the wedging friction shoes 13, 13, preferably eXtend forwardly beyond the intervening co-acting shoes 12 by projections 16, adapted to receive the force of impact from the drawbar in bufrlng, through the central wedge member B. The companion friction shoe members 12, 12, preferably extend correspondingly rearwardly of the members 13 asuiicient distance to engage one of the rear resisting members, as the absorbing spring 17 placed within the rear portion of the casing 3, with its companion spring 18.

Between the drawbar 2 and a central wedge B is interposed a transverse follower 19 adapted to engage front stops 10, the similar follower 7 being interposed between the rear end of the casing and rear stops 10. Central wedgeB is provided with front and rear oppositely disposed wedging faces b, and b', b', respectively, adapted to engage co-acting corresponding wedge faces 21, 21, and 22,22, of wedging friction shoes 13, and to edectually and simultaneously transmit separating action to the front and rear portions of said shoes under bufling or pulling strains, and to expand said shoes against the casing.`

The co-acting friction shoes 12, which eX- tend rearwardly of shoes 13, may be provided with shouldered recesses or cavities 23 at their rear ends for the resistingspring 17, hereinafter described,l or they may merely abut against stronger spring 18 in the re- Fig. 9.

In' Figs. 8 to 15 inclusive, the same eral construction. as above describe is messia shown, the central wedge B having shoulders corresponding to wedge shoulders b and b', but provided with corrugations or ridges b2, b3, respectively, the co-acting friction shoes 13 having similarly disposed wedge faces 21 and'22 having co-acting ridges and grooves interfitting therewith. The lfriction shoes 13 are also provided with the tapered lateral wedging faces 15 adapted to co-act with the corresponding wedge faces 14 of the companion wedge members 12. The object of the corrugations and grooves b2, b3, and 21', 22', is to increase the wedging surface.

In Figs. 13, 14 and 15, the friction shoes 13 arel provided with the wedging and frictioncreating surfaces above described, and are also -provided with longitudinal grooves or recesses'24 ladapted to receive the supplemental friction strips 25 having the front retaining lip 26. Said friction strip and its lip, one or more being provided for each of the friction slices, are so disposed as to eHect supplemental movement upon engagement by the follower 19 at the latter portion of the stroke, for thrusting the strip inwardly within grooves 24:, for supplemental friction, and to be withdrawn upon termination of the pressure, by

movement of the central wedge block B outward and its shoulders 27 provided for csuch purpose. By this means it will be observed that the movement of the strips 25 is edected after the partial distending of the main friction shoes 13, by wedge B providing for supplemental andadditional friction.

' It will be obvious that the number, arrangement or form of the strips 25 may be changed or ,varied according to the construction or conditions of use, their purpose being to supplement the initial frictional engagement between the shoes and the cylinder. yThe cylinder 5', as shown in Figs. 8 to 13 inclusive, viding increased binding frictional engagement between the casing and the wedging friction shoes 12 and 13, so that as these shoes are expanded by the central wedge B or B they will be forced tightly within the tapering front portion of the casing. Where the supplemental friction strips 25 are employed, their action on the casing will `be increased in the same manner. Wherever parts similar to those already described are shown in the drawings on Sheet 2 they are referred to by the same numerals, primed.

Referring to the spring construction, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be observed thatsprings 17 and 18 are arranged the one within the other for a considerable portion of their length and within the limited clearance space between the rear portion of the friction-creating members and the rear opposing abutment, e. either the end of the casing 5, or follower 7., A supporting stirtup, yoke or cup 28 is interposed between the springs, having the rear'bottom portion shoes extending inwardly beyond said alternating shoes.

29 `for opposing the rear end of spring 1 7,\\ 4. In a draft gear, the combination with a and the laterally extending collar or flange 30 for -engagement against the frontend of spring 1 By this means, spring 17 being preferably weaker than spring 18, it will be compressed and effect opposing resistance for the initial portion of closing shocks or strains, and upon compression, will transmit movement through the Acup .or housing 29 and its flange 30 to the heavier spring 18. Saidspring, upon further movement, will also be compressed, providing resistance, supplemental or in addition to the resistance of spring 17.

Figs. 8 and 9 showl l the springs 17 and 18 andy the yoke 28 in reversed position, the heavienrspring 1-8 bearing directly against the wedge-friction shoes 12" and acting to first compress the weaker spring 17 through the yoke. The operation is however the same as above described, the springs compressing successively, the one within the other.

It will be understood that' the arrangement of the springs, as shown and described, may be adopted with any other form of draft gear not necessarily having the forward friction-creating members.

What I claim is:

1. In a draft gear, the combination with a rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, 'a central wedge abutting toward theA drawbar, a eylindrical series of assembled friction shoes within the casing having lateral co-acting longitudinally operative wedge faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending wedge portions directly engaging the central wedge. v

2. In a draft gear, the combination with a rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, a central wedge provided with front and back wedge faces, a cylindrical series of assembled friction shoes within the casing having lateral co-acting longitudinally operative wedge faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending wedge portions directly engaging the central wedge.

3. In a draft gear, the combination with a rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, a central wedge abutting toward the drawbar, a cylindrical series of assembled friction sh'oes within the casing having lateral co-acting longitudinally' operative wedge faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending wedge portions directly engaging the central wedge and the other friction \rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, a central wedge, a cylindrical series of assembled friction shoes within the' casing having lateral co-acting wedge faces, the alternating friction'shoes lhaving inwardly extending wedge portions engaging the central 'wedge and the other friction shoes extending inwardly beyond said alternating shoes, -and a spring seating against said inwardly extending shoes and interposed between them and the rear abutment. Y

5. In a draft gear, the combination witha rear abutment drawbar, of acasing, a drawbar, a central wedge, a cylindrical series of assembled friction shoes within the casing having lateral co-acting wedge faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending' wedge portions engaging the central wedge and the other friction shoes extending inwardly beyond said alternating shoes, and a pair of separated springs interposed between therear abutment and said friction shoes, one of said s rings bearing against the inwardly extending bearing shoes, and the other bearing against the rear end of the casing.

6. In a draft gear, the combination with a rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, a central wedge abutting toward the d rawbar, a cylindrical series of assembled friction shoes within the casing having lateral co-acting longitudinally loperative wedge faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending wedge portions directly engaging the central wedge and provided with supplemental friction strips.

7 In a draft gear, the combination with a rear abutment and a relatively movable drawbar, of a casing, a drawbar, acentral wedge abutting. toward the drawbar, a cylindrical series of assembled friction shoes wit in the casing having lateral co-acting we ge'faces, the alternating friction shoes having inwardly extending wedge portions directly engaging the central wedge and provided with supplemental friction strips having portions adapted to be engaged by,

the central wedge.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. COURSON.

Witnesses:

C. M. CLARKE, Fiinnir. STAUB.L

and a relatively movable 

